Week 4 brought a busy stretch for former Penn Staters, with tight ends making noise, a cornerback changing teams in the middle of the week and a pass rusher finally breaking through for his first sack of the season.
Sunday’s Bengals-Jaguars matchup in Cincinnati featured four former Nittany Lions on offense, and the tight ends were front and center. Brenton Strange paced Jacksonville through the air with seven catches for 95 yards, though his biggest highlight came with a bit of danger attached: he tried to hurdle a defender, lost the ball, and watched it roll out of bounds without costing the Jaguars.
Parker Washington, Jacksonville’s top receiver on the season, had a quieter day. He finished with one catch for seven yards and added a three-yard rush, but he still leads the team with 228 receiving yards. Strange and Washington remain the Jaguars’ top two receiving threats on a 3-1 team.
For Cincinnati, Mike Gesicki found the end zone for the third time this season. The pattern has been clear when he gets a catch: he’s also turned it into a touchdown, making him a dependable red-zone option for Joe Burrow.
The Bengals also got a season debut from Mitchall Tinsley, who was signed off the Houston Texans’ practice squad on Sept. 29.
With Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins dealing with injuries, Tinsley made an immediate impact, catching three passes for 49 yards. His best play came on a 29-yard sideline grab that moved Cincinnati into Jaguars territory.
Across the league, Joey Porter Jr. made his Dallas Cowboys debut after being traded from the Pittsburgh Steelers following lengthy contract disputes. He wasted little time showing why he’s considered one of the league’s premier cornerbacks. Against the Houston Texans, Porter played 24 snaps and was targeted only once on his primary receiver, giving Dallas a boost on a defense that had been struggling.
Baltimore also got strong work from Vega Ioane, who moved from guard to center after the Ravens placed both centers on injured reserve. The position change didn’t slow him down. Ioane was dominant in both the run game and pass protection against the Titans, including one rep where he handled defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons one-on-one and neutralized him.
Through four games, Ioane has already looked like the kind of player Baltimore hoped it was getting with the No. 14 pick. He’s shown the same kind of force he had at Penn State, along with the flexibility to handle a new spot when the Ravens needed him there.
On the defensive side, Theo Johnson also found a first of his own. The New York Giants tight end scored on his only catch of the game, hauling in a pass through a defender for his second reception of the season.
Johnson had been the starter last year at tight end, but the addition of Isaiah Likely pushed him into a different role. Even so, he’s still been on the field plenty as the Giants lean heavily on 12-personnel.
Chop Robinson added another milestone later in the weekend, recording his first sack of the season against the Minnesota Vikings. The former Penn State edge rusher was a steady problem off the edge all game, finishing with eight pressures, three quarterback hits and a 32.3% pressure rate. His first sack of 2026 came on a pure bull rush, driving the right tackle back into Kyler Murray to end the Vikings’ drive.
In Other News...
Penn State Heads Into White Out With One Huge Offensive Problem
Penn State heads into the White Out still trying to sort out what this offense wants to be. After the loss to Northwestern, Matt Campbell pointed to the teams lack of identity as a central issue, and the message around the program has been less about one bad night than about a broader search for rhythm, consistency and confidence on that side of the ball.
Koby Howard remains a few weeks away from returning, which leaves the Nittany Lions waiting on another potential piece as they try to steady things. Campbell said the offense needs improvement across the board and stressed the importance of building a consistent team culture, a reminder that the fix here is about more than one matchup. As the White Out approaches, Penn State is still looking for answers before the noise gets any louder. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Is Still Paying For Its James Franklin Decision
Penn States decision to move on from James Franklin in October was supposed to reset the program toward a coach who could push it all the way to a national championship. Instead, the aftermath has lingered well past the initial shock, with the coaching search dragging on, recruiting momentum slipping and the school finding out how hard it can be to sell a sudden opening at the top of a high-profile job.
Matt Campbell is now in his first year on the sideline and has gotten the Nittany Lions to a 3-2 record, but the broader picture has been less stable. The team has struggled recently, and the complications of the search that brought Campbell in continue to shape how Penn State is viewed as it tries to recover from a decision made with a title-level standard in mind. [Read more 🡒]
Penn States Transfer-Heavy Roster Faces A Bigger Big Ten Problem
Penn State entered the season with real optimism, climbing as high as No. 13 before Big Ten play started to expose some of the flaws that have followed the team all fall. After a 24-20 loss to Wisconsin and a 34-13 setback at Northwestern, the Nittany Lions are now trying to steady a roster built largely through transfers, a construction that has brought talent but also, by James Franklins own assessment, left some questions about consistency and physicality.
Those issues matter even more now with USC coming to town, because the league grind is only getting heavier from here. Franklin and linebacker Cael Brezina have both pointed to the need for a tougher edge, and the coaching staff is leaning into physical practice and fundamentals in an effort to clean up the details before the next Big Ten test arrives. [Read more 🡒]